I just got done installing an ev27 cam, new bearing, new lifters and adjustable pushrods in my 1997 road king. On start up I had a loud tapping in the cam chest area. I shut it down for 10 mins and then started it again same loud tapping let run for about 20 - 30 seconds and shut down. Starts good and idles fine but have loud tapping.

My install process
installed new cam bearing. Installed ev27 cam with original cam gear and a .065" shim (.013" endplay). Put new lifters (soaked in oil for a day) into blocks and installed. The installed 24tpi adjustable pushrods. I brought a lifter to the top and then installed and adjusted the opposite lifter. Ex front intake lifter to top, installed and adjusted rear intake lifter. hand tight to remove lash then 3 full turns per instructions. Did this to all 4 pushrods. I did not have to wait for new lifters to bleed down after tightening pushrods (after adjusting I could still twist rods by hand) but I waited 15mins between each just to be safe.

Any ideas on what to check?

 

Probably missed the adjustment on the push rods. Did you turn the motor over by hand & check each push rod for looseness? I use a similar method, except that I adjust each push rod till there is *no* slack & you can't turn them by hand after allowing the lifter to bleed down. Then I first back 'em down just enough to allow 'em to turn. From there adjust one (1) full turn looser. There should be zero slack on the heel of the cam, & they'll be too tight to turn anywhere else.

 

Rotate the engine to put each piston at TDC compression stroke and readjust the pushrods. Your method of bringing a lifter to the top of its stroke and adjusting the opposite lifter probably resulted in adjusting the pushrod while the valves were in the overlap mode and not on the cams base circle. Find TDC compression for each cylinder and readjust - problem solved.

 

I brought a lifter to the top and then installed and adjusted the opposite lifter. Ex front intake lifter to top,

Maybe I am not clear on how you adjusted the push rods? After the intake valve closes both valves are closed and both push rods can be adjusted without turning the engine again until lifters bleed down. Sounds like one or more is out of adjustment. You do have oil pressure right?

 

OP stated he let lifters soak overnight in oil. My guess is they haven't fully pumped up. I think using the old pushrods to pump them up in a can of oil works better. Just saying.

 

Check on youtube, there are a few videos on how to do it. Helps with visual aids.

 

Maybe the lifters aren't pumped up yet and they'd be fine with a few minutes of running. On the other hand, lots of performance cams are known to be noisy and any amount of running won't cure it.

What concerns me is your statement of "putting one lifter to the top and adjusting the other one". I'm not sure what you mean by this.

To adjust the rods, the cams must be on the base circle. If you put one cylinder on overlap (both lifters are moving at the same time) the other cylinders cams will be on the base circle. There are other methods you can use, like making sure the cylinder your working on is at TDC COMPRESSION. Some guys just say TDC, but TDC exhaust will not work.

I wouldn't run the engine until I was sure the rods had been adjusted correctly.

 

I just installed 255 cams with the SE tapered pushrods. I re-used the lifters. I adjusted the pushrods 2.5 turns from snug. The engine is very quiet. I followed the instructions in the video below.

You might want to go over the video and try to figure out what you did different and/or re-check pushrod adjustment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KvamRqCis

 

I have had a bike in the past with a ev27 cam, This is not normal performance cam noise.

I do not have a oil pressure gauge to check the oil pressure. Today after work I will re adjust the pushrods using tdc on compression stroke. Then I will cank a few time for 5 - 10 seconds with out sparkplug to help prime oil. Then I will start it and see what happens. I really hope pushrod adjustment is all that is wrong.

 

After you adjust the push rods turn the motor by hand a couple of times & check each push rod at it's lowest point for looseness. You should be able to rotate each push rod with your fingers, but not have any up/down movement. In fact, do that before you re-adjust & you may find the problem.